"Obligation and Duty"

Chapter 16

.oO{I own Rei and Ishida[somewhat, it's really a joint ownership with him] and this story.}

#Sanosuke sighs# Poor girl... she's been writing this story for more than 3 months... if you steal it, I'll have to come beat your face in. #Sanosuke smirks#

#Author smiles at him# I have to say sorry before I begin here... Many of you asked me not to do this, but, I'd already written this before We even knew that Rei was pregnant. I'm going to be a posting billboard. Go read "Unwanted or Unbidden?" by Kara Amaya. It's really good! Go read it! Go, c'mon, Go! NOW! #Author gets a little scary when people don't listen#

*****

Waking up, Rei looked around at her surroundings. Sitting up quickly, she finally remembered what had happened.

"You're awake. That's good, you've been out for at least 6 hours," a deep voice said.

Looking to the door, Rei saw those blue-green eyes again and wanted to melt. Thankfully, she was sitting down.

"Where am I?" she asked, averting her gaze. The tall boy walked over to her.

"You're in the hospital. It's a good thing I found you when I did, or you would've caught your death of a cold."

Looking him over again, Rei saw that he wasn't any taller than Kurama. But hearing 'death' instantly brought her mind back to the present. Laying her hand on her stomach, the boy looked away; sadness filling his gaze.

"You have to tell me... Did I lose the baby?" she asked, hoping since he had brought her here he would know.

He nodded slowly. Rei bit her trembling lip. .oO{Why does shit like this always happen to me?!?} she screamed in her mind. The boy leaned a little closer to her hospital bed and she cried on his shoulder.

A half hour-- and twenty billion tears-- later, the boy pulled away.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"R-Rei Amerasu," she stuttered.

"Nice to meet you, Rei. My name is Ishida Takatsuki."

Rei did her best to smile and he asked, "How old are you?"

"Fourteen, but I'll be fifteen in a few months," she answered.

Ishida's mouth dropped open. "You're fourteen? And you were pregnant? You look a lot older."

Smirking, she said, "I don't know if I should take that as a compliment. How old are you?"

"Seventeen. I don't think I look it, though," he blushed.

Rei couldn't help but smile. This boy reminded her so much of Kurama. Besides the sweet personality and height, there was really nothing else they had in common, though. Ishida had brown hair that was a little more spikier in the front than in the back. His blue-green eyes weren't as soft and caring as Kurama's; Ishida's held more feeling. Realizing she was staring, Rei blushed and turned her head.

But to her surprise, Ishida was staring back. Turning her gaze back to him with the tip of his finger on her chin, he said, "I'm truly sorry about what's happened to you."

Rei nodded, understanding his words, but all she wanted was him to leave the room. Just then, Botan came bounding into the room. Ishida spun around and chin-upped a greeting to Botan. She smiled back and walked over to Rei's side.

"Rei-chan, are you alright?" she asked quickly.

"Yes, I'M fine..." Rei mumbled. Botan gave her a small hug, "I'm so sorry."

"Oh stop that. I know I'm going to be hearing that enough in the next few weeks."

Botan turned to Ishida and he left the room. Rei looked at both of them with questions written in her eyes, and after Ishida closed the door, Botan said, "Do you know him?"

Rei shook her head, "No, but it looked like you knew him."

"No, I don't. You two looked a little comfy, though," Botan winked.

Rei was going to hit her with a pillow, but since she didn't have one and her left hand was hooked up to the IV unit, Rei lied back down.

"I'm tired. And hungry, and will someone get this friggin needle out of my arm!?" Rei cried.

"Aww... it's alright, Rei," Botan soothed. "I can leave now, and I'll try to see what I can do about the food, but I'm afraid the needle has to stay there."

Rei nodded, "'Kay... you can come back later."

Botan smiled and left the room. Rei instantly fell asleep, but her dreams didn't give her any rest.

-----

Stairs. Billions of them. All leading up. What was this? Seaweed men? What the heck? She saw Yusuke, Kuwabara and Kurama. But no Hiei. Where was he?

Finally; a door. They went inside. There was a white tiger, talking to a tall man. The man froze the tiger; literally. Rei lifted her arm. At least, she thought she did. She saw it wasn't her arm, but Hiei's.

She could see Yusuke's mouth moving and a blur of sounds, but she couldn't understand any of it. She stepped forward and threw her cape onto the White Tiger's severed head and Rei awoke.

-----

"Okay, that might have been the freakiest dream I've ever had..." Rei said as she sat up in the hospital bed.

"What dream?" Botan asked. She had been sitting there in one of the chairs watching a Soap Opera.

"I had a dream that I was Hiei, and I saw all the guys fighting one of the Saint Beasts."

Botan raised both of her eyebrows. "I don't think I want to know any more..."

"Psh... whatever. Go back to watching your show," Rei said as she looked at the hospital food that was by her bed.

"I got you what I could to eat," Botan motioned. "Have you ever really watched a Soap Opera?"

Rei nodded, stuffing a piece of bread-roll in her mouth. "Yeah, and I thought it was hilarious."

Botan turned around and gave her a playful glare. "I think they're sweet."

"Rrriigghhttt...." Rei winked. Turning her attention to the tv, Rei decided to see what was so great about Soaps.

~~

'Oh... Marco... Don't you love me anymore?' the blonde on the tv asked the Spanish-looking guy.

'I don't know, Simone,' he answered.

'Then who do you love?' Simone asked, pulling herself out of Marco's arms.

'Your... mother...' he answered her.

Gasping, she slapped him, 'I knew it. And you've been having an affair?'

'No. Not with your mother, but with Andrea,' Marco answered.

.oO{That guy is an idiot. He keeps digging his grave a little deeper.} Rei thought.

'Andrea, too!?' Simone gasped again as she slapped again.

'What about Shawn? What were you two doing that night I came home?' Marco asked, turning the tables on Simone.

.oO{Busted, I want to change it... C'mon, Botan... change the bloody channel!} Rei thought again.

'We were doing... nothing,' Simone answered just as Andrea walked in.

'Hi, Marco,' the red-head said.

Simone pulled a gun out of no-where and pointed it to her head.

'No! Simone! Don't do it, honey!' Marco tried to stop her.

'Shut up! You're next!' Simone said and right then the Soap said 'TO BE CONTINUED'.

~~

"Oh my gosh, Botan! I told you Soaps were hilarious!" Rei started laughing so hard it hurt.

"Har har, I still like them," Botan said as she turned the channel.

"I can see why! Oh, good Kami, that was soooo much like a blonde..." Rei held her sides.

"You better stop that, half of the nurses here are blonde."

Rei coughed, but only to hide the word 'ditz' and Botan shook her head.

"You're hopeless. Oh yes, You get to go home today," Botan told Rei.

Rei lifted an eyebrow. "But I've only been here less than a day."

"Nu-uh, when you fell asleep this last time, you were out for a good 26 hours."

Rei's mouth dropped open. "How?" she asked as her lips made a little 'o'.

"Well, when you fell asleep, it was pretty much time for your operation-thingy... and that's where you were," Botan twiddled her thumbs.

"Operation?" Rei asked, but she already figured out what for.

"Yeah, to make sure you weren't bleeding and to... you know... take it out," Botan said, tears stinging her own eyes.

Rei nodded, "Well, I think I'll go home, then." She decided it was better if she didn't let her mind dwell on it for too long.

"But how in the world was I out for 26 hours?!" Rei asked.

Botan shrugged. "I think it was the medicine and all the things you've been through finally catching up with you."

"So that means," Rei started counting on her fingers, "I've been here for a little more than a day, had surgery and they're going to let me go home?"

"It wasn't a huge major surgery, just a little... uh... cut, twist, pull kinda thing," Botan winced as she said those words. Rei bit her lip as she tried not to cry.

"I'm sure there could have been another way to do that," Rei said, blood starting to form on her lip. Botan kicked herself for telling Rei, but Rei had a right to know.

"There probably was, but I wasn't here at that moment and since you were out and no one was there to tell the doctors what you wanted, they just did what was easiest..." Botan said as she handed a tissue to Rei.

Rei blew her nose and dabbed her eyes as Botan did the same. .oO{Ahh... Botan. Gotta love having a friend that will cry with you through anything...} Rei thought.

Just then Ishida entered the room.

"Hi, how're you doing?" he asked.

Rei looked at him and then Botan, who's eyes were equally as wide as Rei's.

"I've been... better," Rei answered cautiously.

Ishida laughed. .oO{Such a cute laugh,} Rei thought, just as he started to speak again.

"I never told either of you, did I?" he asked.

Botan looked to Rei and vice-versa.

"I've been interning here at the hospital. That's why it seems I'm always around. And I've also been assigned to help you at home, Rei."

"But, I thought I was going to help her," Botan spoke up.

"For the rest of the time. For the first few days, or however long the doctors see fit, I'll be there helping her with medication and making sure she isn't hurt or anything."

Botan's mouth dropped open and she looked at Rei. Rei looked relatively calm, but after what all has happened to her, Botan didn't wonder why.

"Alright. Take me home, Cap'n," Rei sighed.

Ishida's eyebrow lifted as his lips quirked into a grin. Botan still looked at sea and the 'Captain' walked over to Rei's bed. Unhooking the IV unit, Ishida told Botan how to help. Botan hurried to get Rei's kimono/robe that she had brought from home and helped Rei into it.

Lifting her from the bed, Rei felt Ishida's muscles ripple as he helped her into the wheelchair. Botan gave her an evil little grin, too.

"I don't need a wheelchair," Rei argued.

"For the hospital you do. We have to go down four floors. And we also have some paper work, so be kind to yourself and let me push you," Ishida argued right back. Botan giggled and Rei flashed her the death look. Heading for the elevator, Botan leaned towards Rei as Ishida pushed the button.

"Aren't we going to have fun..."